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45,000 children are set to sow, grow (and eat) their own fruit and veg this spring

Children were shown how to grow their own cress, runner beans and baby carrots at the launch of Sow & Grow.

AROUND 45,000 CHILDREN across the country are set to learn how to grow their vegetables this spring, as the Sow & Grow 2017 initiative gets underway.

Organised by the group GIY – grow it yourself – and innocent drinks the idea behind the initiative is to encourage an awareness of where food comes from and show children just how easy it is to grow their own greens.

The programme was officially launched at Scoil Thomais in Castleknock, Dublin, on Wednesday.

At the launch, cress, runner beans and baby carrots were sown, and blind taste tests took place to test children’s knowledge of various fruits and vegetables.

Any class can sign up to take part in Sow & Grow, now in its sixth year, by signing up for a pack online here.

Each pack contains soil, growing pots, seeds and expert growing guides along with details on how to prepare and cook the produce that will be grown.

Bláithnid McKenna, from innocent drinks, told RTÉ: “This year, there’ll be enough soil and cup seeds to help 32 kids in each class to help them grow their own fruit and veg.”

The most engaged Sow & Grow school will win a trip to Bloom in the Park for their class, as well as €500 worth of gardening equipment for their school.

Ahead of this year’s campaign, GIY conducted a survey to gauge reactions to the initiative.

Michael Kelly, the founder of GIY, said: “Surprisingly, nearly half of parents we surveyed had grown something in the previous 12 months with their kids. This is fantastic, much, much higher than we expected.

It shows that food growing is something that is becoming more and more mainstream, which is absolutely why we’re here.

However, the survey also showed that almost a third of children don’t get enough fruit and veg, while around one in six don’t know where their food comes from.

To help launch Sow & Grow, GIY and innocent drinks visited St Saviour’s National School in Waterford last week to chat to 1st class pupils on their thoughts on growing your own food, as well as their favourite, and least favourite, fruits and vegetables.

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Read: Interview: For children to eat healthily we must teach them about food

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15 Comments
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    Mute john Appleseed
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    Mar 2nd 2017, 6:22 AM

    Let’s blame Airbnb for a housing shortage that FG are unwilling and incapable of solving. Reduce capital gain tax and incentivise new developments through tax. Stop the building height restrictions. Half of north Dublin City is in ruin with empty houses all over it.

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    Mute Captain kirk
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    Mar 2nd 2017, 6:24 AM

    A few weeks ago he said he wasn’t going regulate it, I think this guy is making it up as he goes along.

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    Mute Noel
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    Mar 2nd 2017, 6:27 AM

    Kirk he’s trying to be popular FG leadership coming up ok

    50
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    Mute Pheilum Shannon
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    Mar 2nd 2017, 6:37 AM

    A lot of people that rent out rooms etc on Airbnb, do so out of necessity. It provides an income supplement that many people needed during the height of the recession because of the austerity imposed by the government. Of course some people are going to make a fortune out of it, and more luck to them. In my opinion though, regulating Airbnb will only serve as a tax collecting tool, not something that will actually fix the housing crisis. I think their first port of call should be to reduce the tax on rental income that landlords have to pay. This would encourage more people to invest in property, as it would mean the property would pay for itself when rented out!

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    Mute Anne Marie Devlin
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    Mar 2nd 2017, 7:19 AM

    @pheilum. A lot of people also rent out entire properties on a full-time basis via airbnb. I agree that it won’t fix the housing crisis, but I strongly believe that those renting out full time should be regulated. They should have to apply for planning permission for change of use. After all, the premises is no longer a home. They should pay taxes and they should have to ensure that they meet health and safety standards. A person occasionally renting out a spare room entirely different.

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    Mute Captain kirk
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    Mar 2nd 2017, 7:39 AM

    Well if you agree that it won’t fix the housing crisis what is the problem? Btw who said they don’t pay taxes?

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    Mute Noel
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    Mar 2nd 2017, 6:25 AM

    Coveney be better off regulating hotel prices in city’s over weekends ?

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    Mute Derek Walsh
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    Mar 2nd 2017, 2:10 PM

    Only if he wants hotels to go out of business. Hotel prices are the sort of thing that don’t need regulation. If they’re too high, the rooms remain empty. If they’re too low, the hotel runs at a loss. Encouraging the building of more hotels – or the use of houses and apartments as short-term lets – would drive hotel prices down.

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    Mute Willy Malone
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    Mar 2nd 2017, 6:11 AM

    Convey, ask Europe what to do. If it suits FG, go for it , If not , ignore em. Ain’t that the FG way ?

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    Mute Noel
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    Mar 2nd 2017, 6:24 AM

    Willy FG are a facist party

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    Mute Cram Wood
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    Mar 2nd 2017, 11:52 AM

    Regulate, regulate, regulate.
    Keep regulating so that any competition to the status quo is abolished.
    Keep regulating so that home owners can’t generate a small side income without being hammered with taxes.
    Keep regulating so that there is no more innovation.
    Keep regulating so that costs to employers are driver up thereby squeezing wages.
    Keep regulating, Keep regulating, Keep regulating FFS.

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    Mute Captain kirk
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    Mar 2nd 2017, 6:54 AM

    Why isn’t there anyone standing up for property rights? Why is it the individual property owners responsibility to solve the housing crisis caused by government? The little guy paying the bills yet again

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    Mute OU812
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    Mar 2nd 2017, 7:48 AM

    I don’t do ab&b but surely it’s a property owner’s responsibility to do what they want with he property they pay for?

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    Mute Rodger 5
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    Mar 2nd 2017, 8:22 AM

    Airbnb is responsible for bringing in tourists who spend a lot of €€€€€€€€, thread carefully.

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    Mute Peter Buchanan
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    Mar 2nd 2017, 7:08 AM

    Nanny state strikes again….

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    Mute Tony Hardwicke
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    Mar 2nd 2017, 7:59 AM

    The more he interferes with the rental market the more flee from it ..including his beloved large professional landlord firms

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    Mute Jack Bowden
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    Mar 2nd 2017, 7:08 AM

    The headline makes it sound like he’s looking for a brown envelope. “Satisfactory arrangement”, I wonder what that could mean?

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    Mute Drew TheChinaman :)
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    Mar 2nd 2017, 9:38 AM

    When they say It’s not right, what they really mean is it exposes the government’s failure to adequately implement any real policy to address housing shortages. It has nothing to do with being right and everything to with making the government look incompetent and its housing policy look non-existent.

    Airbnb overall increases the supply of accommodation. It has the potential to take an under-utilised resource… a house or apartment which is vacant part of the time or a place someone does not want to let long term and makes it available on the market.

    Governments around the world are going to have to get used to a sharing economy and too technology easily, cheaply and efficiently connecting individuals with something to share with someone else that has need.

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    Mute iBob101
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    Mar 2nd 2017, 8:49 AM

    Why doesn’t he keep his fat nose out of our business?

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